Gastrointestinal Cancer

Takayuki Yoshino, MD, PhD provides perspective on key issues surrounding therapy selection in gastrointestinal cancers.

Pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy compared with the placebo plus chemotherapy demonstrated an improvement in overall survival and progression-free survival for patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Data presented at 2021 ESMO show that nivolumab plus chemotherapy improves survival outcomes in certain patients with frontline gastrointestinal cancers, but not nivolumab plus ipilimumab.

Results from the phase 3 JUPITER06 trial demonstrated positive outcomes with toripalimab plus platinum-based chemotherapy in patients with treatment-naïve advanced or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Updated results of DESTINY-Gastric02 trial show antitumor response with trastuzumab deruxtecan in patients with in certain patients with HER2-positive gastric/gastroesophageal junction.

Results of 2 studies presented at 2021 ESMO demonstrate superior efficacy of sintilimab plus chemotherapy versus chemotherapy alone in certain gastrointestinal cancers.

Patients with HER2-positive, metastatic biliary tract cancer experienced promising responses and a tolerable safety profile following treatment with pertuzumab plus trastuzumab.

The NovoTTF-200T System was given a breakthrough designation by the FDA as treatment strategy that may work in conjunction with bevacizumab and atezolizumab to treat patients with advanced liver cancer.

Data from patients with gastric or gastroesophageal junction cancers who were treated with nivolumab showed that effects in the genomic pathways of the gut microbiome may be significantly associated with survival.

Oncomine Dx Target Test is now approved by the FDA as a companion diagnostic for patients with IDH1-mutant cholangiocarcinoma who may be candidates for treatment with ivosidenib.

The phase ORIENT-16 trial indicated that the addition of sintilimab to chemotherapy significantly improved of overall survival compared with placebo.

Oncologists can now use the International Esodata Study Group’s risk predictor model to identify patients with esophageal cancer who might be at a very high-risk of death following an esophagectomy.

Patients with hepatocellular carcinoma treated in the frontline setting showed significant improvements in overall survival when treated with donafenib compared with sorafenib.

Data in patients with colorectal cancer indicates that the Signatera MRD test may help guide treatment decisions in patients with resectable disease.

At ASCO 2021, Tanios S. Bekaii-Saab, MD, talked about some of his research in patients with IDH1/2–positive cholangiocarcinoma presented at the meeting.

Results from the phase 3 KEYNOTE-811 study indicated that pembrolizumab and trastuzumab plus chemotherapy yielded robust, long-lasting responses in patients with HER2-positive metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction cancer.

At the 2021 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting, CancerNetwork® spoke with Tanios S. Bekaii-Saab, MD, to discuss recent updates in the treatment of gastrointestinal malignancies.

Patients with HCC who received atezolizumab/bevacizumab experienced a positive quality of life and improved disease symptoms vs sorafenib.

The combination of cabozantinib plus atezolizumab resulted in improved progression-free survival in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma whose disease has not previously been treated vs sorafenib monotherapy.

At the 2021 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting, CancerNetwork® spoke with Tanios S. Bekaii-Saab, MD, about genomic drivers in cholangiocarcinoma.

The Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee has decided to wait until more results from a clinical trial of retifanlimab are available to make a final decision about approval in squamous cell carcinoma of the anal canal.

Mehmet Sitki Copur, MD, and colleagues examine the case of a 65-year-old patient with appendiceal mucinous neoplasms of the appendix who was treated with cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy.

Data from a phase 1b trial of the combination of regorafenib plus pembrolizumab in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma display safety and early efficacy.

Adding toripalimab and hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy to lenvatinib yielded robust, durable responses for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.

Objective response data from a phase 2 trial supported the FDA’s decision to grant infigratinib accelerated approval to treat patients with certain a certain type of cholangiocarcinoma.

Adjuvant nivolumab for resected esophageal or gastroesophageal junction cancer was granted full approval by the FDA based on statistically significant improvements in disease-free survival over placebo in a phase 3 trial.

According to an economic evaluation, the use of atezolizumab plus bevacizumab is not cost effective versus sorafenib for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma when considering life-years gained and willingness-to-pay thresholds.

In patients with gastrointestinal cancers, factors such as younger age and comorbidities, among others, were significantly associated with a greater likelihood of sleep disturbance.

Based on response data from a randomized phase 3 trial, the FDA granted accelerated approval to pembrolizumab plus trastuzumab and chemotherapy for the treatment of HER2-positive gastric tumors.

Based on results of a phase 3 study, the IDH1-targeted agent ivosidenib will be considered by the FDA as therapy for cholangiocarcinoma following prior treatment.